Case Summary | Hip Labrum Tear

On 9/1/2008 I had an injury to my hip from lifting heavy furniture incorrectly. The pain at first wasn't too bad, I assumed it was a muscle strain. Over the next few months the pain began to interrupt my daily life through driving, sleeping, playing and even sitting comfortably. My hip would stiffen, click, or throb from any movement involving my hip joint. Upon seeing a doctor, an XRay and CT scan were done, but both came back normal. They prescribed pain medications, but I did not take it because I knew it would not work. The pain began to bother me even when I was doing nothing at all. I returned to the doctor in September of 2009 and they referred me for and MRI as a last hope. Upon receiving the images back from the MRI, they referred me to an orthopedic surgeon, and at that point I knew something was wrong. The doctor told me I had a torn labrum in my hip and that I would need surgery. I was registered for a hip arthroscopy and labral debridement (shaving of the torn material). During the surgery, I later found out that I also had cartilage damage, a flap of cartilage had been flipped up, sometimes getting locked in the joint, and that was most likely the cause of the severity of my pain. The surgery lasted about 2.5 hours and I was home on crutches for 2 weeks. I returned to work on November 2, 2009 and was released from my crutches on November 9th. I still have a little pain in the area, but the doctor says it is due to continuous healing, as it has not been even 2 months since the procedure. I have physical therapy once a week for strengthening exercises, as my right thigh is very weak now. Other than that, my leg feels SO much did before the surgery, and I have another checkup with my doctor in the middle of January.